Gin and Tonic
by Emo Fox
Summary: Tak left. Gaz is trying to forget it ever happened. All of it. Tak returns. Will it be the same? TAGR


"Gin and Tonic"

'One-Shot'

Gaz frequented this club often.

The throbbing lights, a rainbow of colors blinking rapidly among the public below, the sound of music a thunderous backdrop to the noise in her head.

She came to the club to get away, to be alone, feeling the most solitude when in a crowd; being able to be completely detached when the entire mass of people swirled around her like a whirlpool.

Leaning up against the bar she called for another drink, her word a mere snap of sound over the horrendous music—but the barkeeper heard her despite the many other patrons down the line; another reason she liked this club, the staff was actually competent.

She nursed the neon blue liquid, her amber eyes staring ahead at the assortment of bottles on the clear glass shelves.

Gaz could feel her, like a secondary pulse in her chest, she knew she had came back, had known for weeks; she guessed Tak didn't know she knew, a reason why the alien stalked her every week-end, watching her activities at the club from a distance, from that shadowy corner that was more conspicuous than she thought.

Gaz wouldn't seek her out, and she was beginning to wonder if Tak would ever approach.

It had been four years since she upped and left, claiming something about duty or a mission, something involving Zim and her leaders. Shit Gaz didn't care about, shit that was obviously more important than Gaz.

Bitter was a taste she knew well, it was souring her already sour attitude; the festering wound caused her to isolate herself even further from her small family, pushing Dib closer and closer to Zim while she remained even more alone than before.

Bitch.

Who did she think she was, coming back here, now, out of the blue? Watching her, like she had a right to even look at her anymore?

Gaz slammed her empty glass on the counter, called for another.

She was pinning herself a fool, she hated the emotion Tak had brought out in her, wrenched from her core, only to throw it back in her face.

Gaz noticed movement in the corner of the room, beyond the gyrating bodies, a whisper of sound under the chorus of noise. Tak was moving closer, just enough, a flicker of green light high-lighting the crop of indigo hair.

The glass hesitated on her lips, her pulse quickened—the moment she realized her own apprehension, that flutter of longing and excitement, she slammed the drink down and scowled to herself. After all this time, and still the alien could produce such a reaction and she wasn't even within five feet of her.

Gaz didn't want to admit that she came to this club religiously because of that fact that Tak followed her; or that this place would give her a chance to step up, to apologize, to say anything—

She didn't want to remember how desperate she was, how much she wanted Tak to come close.

Gaz abandoned the bar, she stalked through the crowd with unnatural ease, not a piece of her touching anyone as she moved through the mass of moving bodies to the exit; slamming her hands on the cold steel of the door.

The night exploded around her, frost-tinted air stung her lungs, pricked her skin, and excited her nerves. She unconsciously wrapped her arms around herself as she walked with intent towards her waiting car.

She was unaware of the shadow following her—

Gaz didn't get the chance to get the keys out of her neon-colored hand-bag, a hand clamped down on her wrist, stopping her cold in her tracks.

She clenched her jaw, staring at her reflection in the glass, her eyes moving just above, catching sight of Tak standing behind her, those intense false eyes catching her breath. It took her more than a minute to finally try and shake off Tak's touch, "Get off me." She ground out, her voice nearly breaking.

Weak. Weak. WEAK. She was so fucking weak.

Gaz squinted her eyes shut, growling to herself as she fumbled with the keys, forcing the key in the lock but the moment she opened the door Tak slammed it shut, pinning her from behind with her arms.

"We need to talk." Tak murmured, her tone low and intense, right behind Gaz's left ear.

Gaz didn't turn around, her honey-colored eyes glaring at the taller woman reflected in her driver's side window, "Talk?" Gaz scoffed, "You think I give a shit what you have to say?"

"I think you do." Tak had the gall to smirk.

The bitch.

Gaz whirled around, her face inches from Tak's still trapped under the alien's heavy stare, "Fuck you."

Tak lifted her chin, her false eyes hooded, "You've known I've came back. You've known I've been following you." She murmured, "If you didn't want me to catch you, you wouldn't have been caught."

Gaz flushed, "You don't know anything."

"I know you." Tak said easily, "I know what you want."

"What I wanted." Gaz corrected harshly, trying to remind herself their time had passed, and this longing was criminal. She should have been trying to get over Tak, been trying to hate her, not wanting this moment, not wanting her back like some love-sick school girl.

It was pathetic and weak, all these feelings, it was everything Gaz wasn't, everything she prided herself not to be.

It wasn't fair Tak could show back up, after just leaving, after years of silence and not knowing—

It wasn't fair.

Gaz shoved Tak away, gaining space, "You're nothing special." She ground out hotly, ignoring the Irken's change in posture, noting the new hostility budding between them; ignoring how the electricity of it prickled her skin, "I'm over this, over you. Go back to space or wherever the fuck you came from." She gripped the keys hard in her hand, trying to tame her heartbeat, trying to keep her tone steady.

She wanted Tak, but at the same time, she didn't.

Wanting her was weak, needing her was even worse; but hating her, but pushing her away, that took strength and Gaz desperately wanted to be strong again. Love tore her apart, and hate would piece her back together.

Tak sneered, her indigo eyes cruel, "I came all the way back to this hunk of dirt for you." It was supposed to be heartfelt, romantic even, but the way the words flew like acid from her mouth, it was hard to tell.

"You also left." Gaz reminded, unbothered by Tak's glare, "Did you do that for me too?"

Tak frowned, her fists clenched, "I will not beg you."

"It wouldn't matter." Gaz snapped, turning her back and finally opening her car, she threw out the door, the edge just an inch from Tak though the alien didn't flinch.

Before Gaz could close the door, Tak grabbed the side of it, false human fingers digging into the metal unnaturally as she towered over Gaz now huddled inside the vehicle, "If you leave, I won't come back." She said with an edge of finality.

Gaz kept her gaze ahead, through the windshield, avoiding Tak at all costs. Her mouth was dry, her heart thudding painfully in her chest as if pleading with her to accept Tak's half-assed apology; if there had even been an apology somewhere beneath all the barbs. She wanted to speak, to end it, knowing Tak would slam the door, she'd drive home, and that would be the end.

She could end this.

The keys sat idle in the ignition, Gaz's hands unmoving on her lap. It could really be over, no hope of her coming back, no hope for this confrontation. They could really end.

"Gaz." Tak hissed, reaching out with her opposite hand and grabbing a fistful of purple hair—Gaz growled in response, her face wrenched up towards Tak's, their eyes locked and fire scorched between them.

"Let go of me." Gaz said in a controlled voice despite being distracted by their close proximity; feeling the breath on her lips, seeing the raging emotion in Tak's eyes, inhaling her foreign almost sterile scent.

Tak tightened her grip; a quiver of pain spasmed on Gaz's face but Tak didn't relent, forcing her even closer, their lips brushing with her speech, "I don't understand what it is." She nearly snarled, her face ugly with rage, "I don't understand why I care about a wretched Earth monkey, why I came back." Her opposite hand released the door, instead gripping at Gaz's neck, the grip almost painful, "I left to continue my mission, to take revenge on Zim, on Earth—to get away from…this." It didn't have a name, this was something entirely unusual, unwarranted; this was an equation Tak didn't have a solution to, no response in her Pak files, she just couldn't forget, couldn't focus, couldn't concentrate on anything except being apart from Gaz.

Now that she was back, she could focus on nothing but trying to get back what she forced herself to lose. She needed this back; she needed to stop driving herself insane.

Their love was toxic, they both knew it.

"I can't get away." Tak continued, her face softening just enough, her fingers tangled more gently in Gaz's hair, nails raking across her scalp, "Even in different galaxies, you've…" Tak nearly whined, "You poisoned me, hideous Earth toxin."

Gaz couldn't help the small almost triumphant smile that tugged at her lips, "Was that your apology?"

Tak instantly prickled, tugging at Gaz's hair, "Apology?" Tak nipped roughly at Gaz's lower lip, eliciting a yip in response, "Tak apologizes to no one."

Gaz's mouth tingled from the contact, her hands pulled at the hem of Tak's top, forcing the other female in close—pressing their lips together in a quiet, tender kiss, her eyes closing for a prolonged minute before she responded, "I guess this means you're going to be living in my garage again?"

"Of course." Tak snapped as if that fact should have already been known. Almost instantly she pushed herself up again away from Gaz, walked around the car, and plopped in on the passenger side. "Drive." She commanded, her feet up on the dashboard in a lazy posture.

Gaz rolled her eyes, shut her car door, and ignited the engine, "Sure."

/

A/N:

I don't know. Something.

I love their dynamic, and it's hard to find fiction for them. So, deciding to post this thing. Was going to be something else, but turned into this. I like it. Could have kept going but I felt it needed to end somewhere.

Thanks for reading.


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